Air-governor and expression device for musical instruments.



w. F. BAYER. MR GOVERNOR AND EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR MUSlGAL INSTRUMENTS.APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5.1913- 1,178,618. Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

INVENTEIR \A/iTNE'SEJEE 1 W W W N by ATTDRNEYFJ m COLUMBIA Pugmomrn 50.,WASHINGTON n. c.

W. F. BAYER. AIR GOVERNOR AND EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5, I913.

2% mm 7 1/ I Kr bY 7,

' ATTDRNE vs:

m I m 2 6 L. -1. T m N An 2 H J m d .wm I m A, t m B Q I1 ,2/ H w 5 Z LAJ I 9 4 m WITN 5215:: MG /E7 mm 'w. F. BAYER. AIR GOVERNOR ANDEXPRESSION DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5. ISIS.

11 78,6 1 8 v Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

WITNEEIEEZ INVEN'TEIR M m 9 DY M L K THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co.,WASHINGTON, D. C

' .WILLIAM F. BAYER, or BUFFAIiO, NEW YORK.-

AIR-GOVERNOR AND EXPRESSION DEVICE FOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

A Application filed June 5, 1913.' Serial No. 771,824.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NVILLIAM F. BAYER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York -haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Air-Governors and ExpressionDevices for Musical Instruments, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the air governors or tension regulatingdevices employed in pneumatic musical instruments for producing auniform tension in the wind chest regardless of the quantity of windconsumed, and more particularly to governors of this character which arecombined with expression mechanism for accenting certain notes orpassages of a composition. In some devices. as hitherto constructed,where the accenting devices are associated with such an'air governor thegovernor-bellows has a tendency to flutter and' produce a disagreeablenoise when the accent-valve is opened. i

One of the objects of my invention is'to improve the construction ofsuch' governing and expression devices with a view of overcoming saidobjection by comparatively simple,- inexpensive and reliable means.'

A further object is to so combine the parts that the expression devicesmay be operated manually, or automatically by the customary tracker andperforated music sheet.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevationof "a player-piano embodying the invention, the lower front board of thecase being removed. Fig. 2 is a sectional rear view thereof. Fig. 3 isan enlarged transverse vertical section on line 33, Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is anenlarged vertical section of the governor on line 4-4, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 isa rear view of the governor detached from the main bellows. Fig. 6 is ahorizontal section on line 6-6, Fig. 4. Fig. 7 is a'sectionalperspective view of the air governor. the expression valves and theiroperating devices. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary transverse section on line8-8, Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is an enlarged longitudinal section of the pneumaticaction which controls the automatic accent valve. Fig. 10 is ahorizontal section on line 1010, Fig, 9. v Similar characters ofreference indicate corresponding parts throughout the v several VIGWS.

1 indicates the pumps of the main suction bellows of the instrumentwhich in the confolding pedals 2.

8 indicates the reservoirs and 1 the lower 7 wind chest.

5 indicates a closed case secured to the front wall of the airreservoir. upper portion of this case is a valve chamher or box 6,preferably made separate from the case for convenience of manufacture.The lower portion or suction chamber 7 of this case not occupied by saidbox communicates by a port 8 with the airreservoir 4, which port iscontrolled by a sliding or other suitable valve 9 by which said case maybe cut off from the main suction bellows during the rewinding of theusual music sheet (not shown in the drawings). 10 indicates theaction'wind chest of the instrument which is connected by a trunk 11with the valve box 6. This box connects with the interior of a governorbellows or pneumatlc 12 by a port 13 formed in the front wall of thebox. while said pneumatic In the; I

communicates with the chamber 7 by a port 14 formed partly in the frontwall of the case 5 and partly ina block 15 secured to the front side ofsaid wall within. said bellows The front or movable board 16 of thegovernor bellows constitutes a'valve which" is adapted to'bear againstor-approach more or less closely to the valve-seat formed by the outerface of said block, to equalize the air .tension'in the wind chest, ashereinafter more fully described. The governor bellows has the customaryexpansion spring 17 for resisting the inward movement of its movableboard.

The upper port 13 is controlled by an automatic or check valve 18 whichcloses inwardly or toward the valve box 5 and which remains open duringthe ordinary operation of the air governor.

19 indicates an accent port connecting the valve box 6 with the suctionchamber 7 and controlled by a manually operated accentvalve 20 The stemof this valve is suitably guided and extends to the side of the case 5.In the preferred construction shown, this valve is connected by a link21 with a lever 22 which in turn is connected by a link 23 with the arm24c of a rock shaft 25 provided at its outer end with a lever or 'key 26for turning it, thisshaft being journaled on the'underside of the keytable 27 of the instrument, as best shown in Fig. 8. Preferably thisaccent valve is constantly ur 'ed to its open position by a spring 28surrounding a link 29 guided in a fixed bracket 30 and connected with anarm 31 of said rock shaft, this spring being interposed between saidbracket and a collar or shoulder 32 of said link, as shown in Fig. 7.This arrangement is desirable in that it re quires the operator to holdthe accent valve closed. 7

It will be noted that inasmuch as the wind passes through the case 5from the wind chest to the mainsuction bellows, the valve box 6constitutes an inlet chamber, while the remainder of said caseconstitutes an outlet chamber.

The operation of the parts so far described is as fol-lows: WVhen theinstrument is at rest the governor-bellows 12 is expanded and the valveformed by its movable board'is wide open. When the instrument is to playin the normal manner, without the use of the accent or expressiondevice, the cut-0H valve 9 is open and the accentvalve 20 is held closedby means of the key 26. Upon operating the main bellows, air isexhausted from the wind chest 10 through the trunk 11, valve box 6, port13, governor bellows 12, port 14, suction chamber? and port 8, thegovernor bellows being collapsed more or less and the regulating port 14cor-' respondingly restricted, according. to the resistance of thegovernor-spring17 and'the air tension produced by the main bellows. Whenthe airtension in the wind chest increases, the governor bellowspartlycuts oil' the passage of the air through the port-14, andwhen thetension diminishes, the spring 17 expands the governor bellows and openssaid port wider, thereby equalizing the air tension in the wind chestand maintaining it practically uniform regardless ofvariations in thewind consumption. During this action, the check valve 18 is opened andheld in that position by the air currentfiowing from the wind chest tothe air reservoir 4, so long as the accent valve 20 remains closed.

When it is desired to accent one or more notes or. passages, the accentvalve '20 is allowed to open-to a greater or less extent under theaction of the spring 28, whereupon the main suction bellows acts uponthe wind chest directly through the valve box 6, accent port 19,an'dthesuction chamber 7, subjecting the wind chest for the time beingto more or less of the high tension in the air reservoir 4, according tothe position of the accent'valve. A musical composition can thus beaccented or shaded in accordance with the expression marks onxthe musicsheet or the fancyofthe performer.

Immediately upon opening the accent valve 20, the valve-l8 closesagainst its seat and the governor-bellows collapses, its movable boardcoming in contact with the face of the ported block 15 and remainingagainst it, so long as the accent valve is kept open, thereby avoidingfluttering or vibration of said board and the objectionable noiseincident thereto. Upon closing said accent valve, the governor-spring 17tends to expand the governor bellows, withdrawing its movable board fromthe face of the block 15 and opening the port 14. The wind or aircurrent now again passes from the action wind-chest through the valvebox 6, port 13,- governorbellows, port 14, chamber 7 and port 8 to themainbellows, the automatic valve 14 being opened by said current andremaining open until said accent valve is again opened.

In addition to the manually-controlled accent valve 20, the instrumentispreferably provided with an automatic accent-device under. the controlof the usual music sheet and tracker. The mechanism shown in thedrawings for this purpose is constructed as follows: 33 indicates asupplemental accentport preferably arranged in the bottom of the valvebox 6 and adapted to connect said box directly with the suction chamber7. This port isnormally closed by a supplemental accent valve 34 whichin the construction shown, opens upwardly or toward said box. The stemof this valve is guided in bridges 35 and 36 and rests by means of itsbutton 37 upon a pouch or pneumatic 38 covering a chamber 39. arranged.ina board 40 separated from the bottom of the box 6 and said chamber isalternately flushed and exhausted to actuate said pneumatic to open orclose said supplemental accent valve, in a manner common to suchpneumatic actions. A duct or tube 41 connects said chamber 39 with achamber 42 formed in a valve-block 43, arranged at one side of the case5. The chamber 42 is connected-bya port 44 With a flushing passage 45leading to the atmosphere, and by an opposing port 46 with a suctionchannel 47 which communicates with the air reservoir 4 by-ports 48 and49. The flushing and suction ports 44 and 46 are controlled by adoubleheaded valve 50 actuated by a diaphragm 'orzpneumatic 51. Thelatter covers a chamconnecting it'with the suction channel 47 Thepneumatic 38 which controls the sup- This chamber is i plemental accentvalve 34 is therefore allowed to remain in its depressed position, asshown in Fig. 4, keeping said valve closed. When an accent perforationof the music sheet registers with the tracker duct leading to the tube53, the incoming atmosphere raises the pneumatic 51 and the valve 50,cutting off communication between the suction channel or chamber 47 andthe pneumatic 38 and flushing the chamber under the latter. Theatmosphere entering the'flushing port 44 now raises the pneumatic 38,

opening the supplemental accent valve 34 and admitting the high airtension in the chamber 7 into the valve box 6 with which the wind chestis connected, thereby accenting the notes, as hereinbefore described inconnection with the opening of the manually-operated accent valve 20.During the use of this automatic accenting device, said hand operatedaccent valve is kept closed.

A cut off valve 54 is applied to the port 49, so that this port as wellas the other cut off port 8 may be closed during the rewinding of themusic sheet. The two cut off valves 9 and 54 are preferably operatedsimultaneously from a rock shaft 55 similar to the shaft 25, by suitableintermediate connections. c

I claim as my invention:

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casehaving inlet and outlet chambers adapted to be connected with a windchest and an exhaust device,

respectively, said chambers being separatedby a wall containing anaccent port, a valve controlling said port, a governing pneumaticcommunicating with said inlet and outlet chambers and controlling thepassage of the air therethrough, and means for automatically shuttingoff communication between said inlet chamber and said pneumatic whensaid accent valveis opened.

2. In a device of the character described,

the combination of a case having inlet and outlet chambers adapted to beconnected with a wind chest and an exhaust device, respectively, saidchambers being separated by a wall containing an accent port, a valvecontrolling said port, a governing pneumatic communicating by inlet andoutlet ports with said chambers and controlling said outlet port, and anautomatic valve controlling said inlet port and arranged to open towardsaid pneumatic.

3. The combination of a wind chest and an exhaust device, of a casehaving an inlet chamber connectedwith the wind chest and an outletchamber connected with the exhaust device, said chambers being separatedby a wall containing an accent port, a valve controlling said port, agoverning pneumatic communicating with said inlet and outlet chambersand controlling the passage of the air therethrough, and automatic meansfor shutting off communication between said inlet chamber and saidpneumatic when said accent valve is opened.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of a casehaving inlet and outlet chambers adapted to be connected with a windchest and an exhaust device, respectively, said chambers being separatedby a Wall containing an accent port, a valve applied to said port,automatic means controlling said accent-valve, a governing pneumaticcommunicating with said inlet and outlet chambers and controlling thepassage of the air therethrough, and an automatic valve arranged to shutoff communication between said inlet chamber and said pneumatic whensaid accent valve is opened.

Witness my hand this 2nd day of June,

WILLIAM F. BAYER. Witnesses:

O. F. GEYER, E. M. GRAHAM.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Wuhington, D. O.

